Liquid–vapor phase change materials (PCMs), capable of significant volume change, are emerging as attractive actuating components in forming advanced soft composites for robotic applications. However, the novel and functional design of these PCM composites is significantly limited due to the lacking of the fundamental understanding of the mechanical properties, which further inhibits the broad applications of PCM based materials in the engineering structures requiring large deformation and high loading capacity. In this study we fabricate PCM-elastomer composites exhibiting large deformation and high output stress. Thermomechanical properties of these composites are experimentally and theoretically investigated, demonstrating enhanced deformation and loading capacity due to the induced vapor pressure. By controlling the distribution and content of the PCM inclusions, structures with tunable deformability under a relatively small strain in comparison with traditional soft materials are fabricated. Accompanying with the asymmetrical friction and deformation, complex locomotion and adaptable grabbing function are achieved with excellent performance.

中文翻译：

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基于液-汽相变复合材料的软执行器

能够显着改变体积的液-气相变材料 (PCM) 正在成为形成用于机器人应用的先进软复合材料的有吸引力的驱动组件。然而，由于缺乏对力学性能的基本了解，这些 PCM 复合材料的新颖和功能设计受到显着限制，这进一步抑制了 PCM 基材料在需要大变形和高承载能力的工程结构中的广泛应用。在这项研究中，我们制造了具有大变形和高输出应力的 PCM-弹性体复合材料。对这些复合材料的热机械性能进行了实验和理论研究，证明了由于诱导蒸汽压导致的变形和负载能力增强。通过控制 PCM 夹杂物的分布和含量，与传统的软材料相比，在相对较小的应变下制造了具有可调变形能力的结构。伴随着不对称的摩擦和变形，以优异的性能实现了复杂的运动和适应性强的抓取功能。